GANAPerspectives

Your To-Do List
Raising the Voice of the Glazing Industry
by Bill Yanek



“We live in challenging times.” How many times over the past year or so have we read, written or spoken those words? Every part of our lives has been affected by the sagging economy, and the glazing industry is certainly no different.

The ultimate answer to surviving these times lies not in “hunkering down” or playing defense. Sure, the Glass Association of North America (GANA) will continue to adjust its operations to meet the current budget environment. However, we are looking past the horizon. This perspective of being proactive, is what you will continue to see in 2010 and beyond.

Noted consultant Steven Covey says: “The key to being proactive is remembering that between stimulus and response there is a space. That space represents our choice: how we will choose to respond to any given situation, person, thought or event.”
To help you “choose,” I recommend the following to-do list.

1. GANA: Events. Faced with a difficult business travel environment, GANA staff worked to bring the GANA Fall Conference to the heartland of the United States (Kansas City, Mo.) and the event was a huge success. This important event will remain in Kansas City over the next several years. Plan to attend in 2010 and beyond.

On March 25-30, 2010 GANA will again deliver Glass Week and the Building Envelope Contractors (BEC) Conference. This year, GANA will meet jointly with the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance for what is sure to be an important industry event. Plan to join GANA at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas.

2. GANA: Energy Events. Within every GANA event, plan to attend one of our energy seminars for the latest on energy’s impact upon the glazing industry. GANA: Energy Events offer perspectives from industry experts, policymakers and GANA standard bearers on the crisis, challenge and opportunity that is energy.

3. GANA: Division Operations. To use a football analogy, GANA Division Operations is the GANA “ground game.” GANA’s seven divisions continue to work diligently to support consensus industry standards and provide education on the latest technological advances and industry issues. GANA efforts cover the entire spectrum of the glazing industry and GANA provides a multitude of ways to get involved.

4. GANA: Advocacy. To continue with the football theme, look at GANA: Advocacy as our “air attack.” In 2010 and beyond, GANA will take on more robust advocacy. GANA: Advocacy will continue the efforts that the Glazing Industry Code Committee (GICC) so ably performed in the past and will build upon those past efforts by more actively engaging on structural, fire, safety and energy code issues and impacting on industry debates.

5. GANA: Energy Committee. In 2009, GANA formed an Energy Committee. The committee covers issues such as ASHRAE committee actions, LEED, green building, sustainability in commercial construction and current energy policy happenings at the state and federal level. The committee is an imperative for those affected by all of these issues.

6. www.glasswebsite.com. If you have not visited the website recently, you are missing out. Here you can access glass information bulletins, order publications and gain access (as a member) to division/task group/committee working documents. More is being rolled out over the next year.

7. Energy Website. The GANA: Energy Website at glasswebsite.com/energy is your daily portal for articles, information and opinion on the energy efforts and issues around the world. Add it to your regularly visited websites as the place to stay current.

8. GANA: Podcasts. This site at glasswebsite.com/podcast has grown tremendously in the past two years. Interviews, product information, training and education are all rolled into one in this site visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

9. Social Media. In the next year, GANA’s social media efforts will only continue to strengthen. Check out our information on Facebook and LinkedIn, and make sure you are following us at twitter.com/glassnation for up-to-the-second posts.

10. USGlass Magazine. Finally, you can always follow our efforts in this very magazine. Furthermore, the majority of our members contribute articles, ads and other information to the Official Publication of GANA. By supporting USGlass, you are supporting GANA and the industry.

Now that you have your to-do list, let us know what more we can do to respond to your needs.

Bill Yanek is the executive vice president of the Glass Association of North America. Mr. Yanek’s opinions are solely his own and not necessarily those of this magazine.


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